Oral reply to PQs on building Singapore’s nuclear energy deployment capabilities

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry in respect of the study to understand nuclear technology, safety of nuclear power plant technologies and their viability for Singapore (a) whether the study will include (i) an estimate timeframe for deployment of nuclear energy and (ii) potential sites for the reactors, where it is found to be viable for Singapore; and (b) whether the key risks identified in the study will be published.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry on the Government’s recent setup of dedicated nuclear teams at the Energy Market Authority and the National Environment Agency (a) what is the readiness to deploy nuclear energy in Singapore; and (b) what is the staff strength of the nuclear team at these two respective agencies.

Dr Choo Pei Ling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry regarding the dedicated nuclear teams set up at the Energy Market Authority and the National Environment Agency, whether the Government will consider including representatives from other sectors and the public in these teams to address common concerns, such as safety and perceptions.

Oral Answer (to be attributed to the Minister-in-Charge of Energy, Science & Technology Dr Tan See Leng)

1.       The Government has not made any decision on deploying nuclear energy in Singapore. We are studying the potential for nuclear energy deployment as it is a low-carbon energy source that enhances our energy security.

2.       As part of our overall efforts to build capabilities to assess whether the latest nuclear technologies could be suitable for deployment in Singapore, we have set up dedicated nuclear energy teams in the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA). The EMA and NEA teams are made up of public service officers. They will be adequately resourced to carry out their roles and will be collaborating with partners from other governments, as well as with industry and academia.

3.       The study commissioned by EMA is focused on helping Singapore understand the safety and viability of various advanced nuclear power plant technologies. It will not focus on potential sites or deployment timelines.

4.       We will engage the public regularly on the latest developments in nuclear energy, to build an informed understanding on nuclear energy. On 27 October 2025, we published a “Background Paper on Singapore’s Nuclear Energy Capability Building Journey” to share more about the work we have done thus far.